Handmade Brigade Holiday 2009

I wanted to share some pictures of the Salvage Life booth at last weekend's Handmade Brigade Show. We had some really great holiday wearables and gifts. Also, I reconnected with an old friend, Heather, who manages Seed People's Market, a really fabulous store at The Camp in Costa Mesa, CA that is dedicated to local and handmade products. If you missed us this time, there are still 3 more show this holiday season!

Attention Please!

THE NEW WEBSITE IS UP!!! CHECK IT OUT HERE!!!

My little lady bug...

The Giles family had a wonderful Halloween. I spent much of the day preparing for the Handmade Brigade Show on Sunday, but I managed to squeeze in pumpkin carving and a short visit to a carnival with the baby. Jeff and I didn't dress up this year, since we figured everyone would just be looking at the baby anyway. She was a lady bug, not super original but I think she was super cute! We even dressed up her little animals.

Simple Vinegar Tarnishing for Brass

This picture turned out a bit blurry, but you get the idea. I had these brass jewelry tags made for my necklaces and they came to me really shiny. I put a little vinegar in a small jar, attached a square of mesh over the top with a rubber band, put the tags on top of the mesh and closed the lid. I let the jar sit for 1/2 hour and they are perfectly tarnished. You can adjust the time accordingly for your own project, but just know that the tarnish will be uneven with this vinegar method. That's what I was going for, but if you want an even tarnish you will need to look into chemical usage.

VINTAGE Halloween DECOR

It's Halloween again, yay! I actually debated whether or not to even put up my decorations since it's already halfway through the month, but what the heck, this is my life so I am going with it. Here is a picture of my favorite collection and some vintage Halloween ads I saved a long time ago and I don't remember where I found them...oops! For more Halloween inspiration, see these posts: here, here and here.

VINTAGE SALE INVITE

I think I was supposed to post this last week, sorry Rachel. The mommy-brain excuse is really getting old, isn't it? It's just that I have a thousand things on my to do list every day and I seem to actually accomplish about two things and those usually weren't even on the list! Haha...Anyway, this announcement isn't too late, my pal Rachel is having a sale of all the vintage goodies she has collected at estate sales over the last year or so, this Sunday evening. I am really excited because I have been to her home and she has amazing taste as is able to see the potential in thing a la Salvage Life! She's always saying "oh that? I found it on the side of the road." My kind of girl! It's at her home in Long Beach and you have to email her at the address provided below for details. She is super nice, so don't be scared. Hope to see you there!

The road I travel...

is sometimes a bumpy one (especially in Long Beach where there are about a million pot holes). This week hasn't exactly been the smoothest. I haven't been feeling well, my daughter's getting her two front teeth in, I had car trouble and just can't seem to clear the clutter from my coffee table despite numerous attempts. So, I haven't blogged and I haven't added to the shop, but I did deliver my jewelry to The Road Less Traveled Store in Santa Ana. Yay!!! The owner, Delilah is fantastic! Stop in sometime and see Salvage Life in person along with lots of other environmentally kind merchandise.



BTW, the last winner for the $25 Salvage Life Gift Certificate is Emma! Congrats, you will receive an email soon.

Anthro Musings

I went to Anthropologie today to finally use my birthday coupon and gift cards. I didn't find a whole lot, but I got this sweater and a bottle of perfume. I wanted this sweater since I saw it in the Philly store, but it left fuzz on my clothes, so I wasn't sure. I'm hoping once it has been washed it will stop shedding. Honestly, I am pretty disappointed in the clothing there right now...too many ruffles and short sleeves sweaters. Also, while I was there I noticed several very disturbing little signs. In a section with beautiful cups, saucers, plates and drinking glasses just begging for me to take them home, there were pieces of crisp white cardstock printed in typewriter font the following words, "Warning: These products may contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm." Eeeww! Why would they sell products for eating and drinking that may contain lead?!! I'm used to seeing these for crystal vases, and decorative items, but I figured by this point all the higher end stores were not carrying items used for eating and drinking that contained lead. Now, I'm all worried because I bought some wine glasses there a few months ago and now I'm afraid to drink out of them!

Crop Top

Yesterday I was wading through my closet, which is actually not a closet at all. I keep most of my clothes in a wardrobe I got at a local thrift store for $40 that my husband painted white before the baby was born. She now lives in the room that was my closet and the storage space in our 1000 square foot 1920's California bungalow leaves something to be desired to say the least. Anyway, my clothes are really struggling right now due to the body limbo I have been in since I got pregnant almost a year and a half ago. I only have 5 more pounds to lose to get back to my pre-baby weight, but I don't think that will put all the pieces back in their places. So, as I went through another round of purging (my sister is going to be so excited because she always gets first dibs on the hand-me-downs) I realized that there are a lot of things that are great pieces, but are just slightly off. These two tops I scored at a thrift shop awhile back, but they were just a little too long and since I have a short torso and am too old to wear barely-butt-covering tops with leggings they just hung in the cold dark wardrobe. You are viewing the shortened and perfectly fitting versions, I am so thrilled! I literally just took a rotary cutter and chopped them off, knit jersey is the best! The leftover fabric was so pretty, so I braided it into a headband. I wore the cream top and headband today with one of the necklaces I just made.

This Week's Winner is...

Kelley Anne! Congratulations! There's one more $25 gift certificate to win! I will try to keep the posts coming and you keep the comments coming.